MADRID — More than 1.2 million people filled the streets of Madrid as Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass and led a Eucharistic procession through the heart of the Spanish capital June 7 for the solemnity of Corpus Christi, the liturgical feast celebrating the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
"We are gathered around the Eucharist, the gift of Christ's living presence among us. He who wished to offer us his life so that we might enter into communion with the Father and become his children, is here as the living Bread come down from heaven, to nourish us with the very life of God, with a love stronger than death," Pope Leo said in his homily.
"Just as Christ gives himself as food in the Eucharistic celebration, the procession shows that he is not confined to the church, but comes out to meet us," he added. "Jesus travels the streets, crosses the squares and visits our neighborhoods, dwelling in the settings of our daily lives."
-- Eucharistic grace to transform people's lives --
The pope offered Mass in the Plaza de Cibeles, the city's iconic neoclassical fountain square where several of Madrid's grand avenues converge, before leading the Corpus Christi procession that wound nearly a mile and a half through streets adorned with elaborate floral carpets crafted by local artisans from more than 30,000 carnations.
Children who recently received the sacrament of First Communion scattered flower petals and religious sisters carried candles near the front of the long procession of priests and bishops, culminating with a golden canopy under which Pope Leo carried the large monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament. People in the crowd knelt down and tossed flowers as the Eucharist passed by.
In his homily, Pope Leo reflected on the power of Eucharistic grace to transform people's lives.
"It is not merely a matter of bringing out the monstrance, but of allowing ourselves to be brought out of our selfishness and indifference, of a comfortable, private faith, so as to respond to his invitation to conversion, to change our perspective, and to welcome his presence which transforms us," the pope said, telling Spaniards to live their faith courageously in the public square.
The task of Spain today and in the future, the pope said, is to "ensure that the religiosity which has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today."
In a country struggling with extreme political polarization and unhealed wounds of the Civil War, the pope said the living faith can transform society as "no one can kneel before the Lord" and at the same time "despise their brother."
Catholic roots of Spain can be "a school" that "teaches us of the gratuitousness of love that becomes a gift, so that it may flow among us and break the chains of all selfishness," and one "from which we learn that God is a real presence and that we too are called to be present in the realities and challenges of society, not shying away, but personally committing ourselves to the building of the common good."
-- Silent fidelity to the Eucharist --
As Pope Leo passed by in the procession, he may have recognized one of the faces in the crowd.
Twenty-eight-year-old Erci Torres from Peru, was confirmed by Pope Leo when he served as her bishop at the Santa Rosa de Lima parish in Chiclayo. Today she lives in Madrid and was thrilled to see the pope again.
"It was a very unforgettable experience," Torres told OSV News. "And to imagine that he is now the pope is incredible."
During the Mass, Pope Leo invoked St. Manuel González García, an early 20th-century Spanish bishop who passionately urged people to recognize the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
Today the saint is known as "the bishop of the abandoned tabernacle" because on his tomb in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of Palencia Cathedral, it is written, "I ask to be buried next to a tabernacle, so that my bones after my death, like my tongue and my pen in life, may always be repeating to those who pass by: 'Jesus is here! Jesus is here! Do not leave him abandoned!'"
Pope Leo said, "His life reminds us that the Eucharist should be honored not only during great celebrations or on special occasions, but also through the silent fidelity of those who accompany the Lord with a humble and quiet friendship that is nourished day by day."
The pope also drew on the poetry of St. John of the Cross, who, while imprisoned in Toledo around the time of Corpus Christi in 1578, found the Lord in the darkness of his cell, which the pope described as "a presence from which emanates a light that never fades."
-- Special moment for Madrileños --
Crowds lined the major avenues leading to the plaza for hours before the Mass began, with 2,300 Eucharistic ministers needed to distribute communion to the assembled faithful. About 400 musicians provided music for the liturgy, including an orchestral ensemble.
Among the crowd was the Adam family, eight siblings who waited together for hours to take part in the papal Mass. Seventeen-year-old Patricia Adam is the second oldest of the 8 siblings. Her older sister played violin in the orchestra for the papal Mass.
"For me, my Catholic faith is living a relationship with God and with Jesus in intimacy," Adam said. "Being here with my family means a lot because it is not just a relationship one to one, but all together with God."
Nearby 23-year-old Lucia waited with her four siblings and 17 cousins as they attended the Mass together.
"Faith has always been so important to me," she said. "I have an aunt who is a nun. She is from the Missionaries of Charity. She's my best example of faith."
-- Corpus Christi: a beloved public expression of faith --
The elaborate floral carpets lining the Calle de Alcalá were created by artisans from the Galician town of Ponteareas, working alongside more than 160 volunteers. The 16 large carpets depicting Eucharistic and Christian symbols lined the streets.
"The solemn processions held on this day have for centuries shaped the piety, art, music, architecture and life of the Spanish people," Pope Leo said. "Even today, they still express and manifest the spiritual sentiments of this country through the beauty and elegance of the floral carpets, the altars erected in the streets, the carefully crafted monstrances and stands, the hymns and the liturgical vestments."
For Spaniards, Corpus Christi remains one of the country's most beloved public expressions of faith and an example of how deeply rooted popular piety remains in Spanish culture.
"This is not an exhibition," the pope said. "It is a profession of faith in the presence of the risen Lord, who is alive and continues to walk among us, who becomes bread to satiate our hunger for life, and visits the recesses of our hearts and history, even those shrouded in darkness."
"May the Lord Jesus, present in the Eucharist, transform you into bread that is broken, given, and offered, so that a life of fullness may spring forth for you, for your families, and for your country."
— OSV News
'Be human as Christ is,' Pope Leo XIV tells half a million youth in Madrid
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'Be human as Christ is,' Pope Leo XIV tells half a million youth in Madrid
MADRID — Pope Leo XIV urged half a million young people gathered in Madrid June 6 to reject superficiality and become "men and women of flesh and blood," telling them that the mission he entrusts to them is simply to "be human."
"The mission I entrust to you is precisely this: that you be human," the pope said during an evening prayer vigil in Madrid's Plaza de Lima. "Yes, be human: men and women of flesh and blood! Not mere appearances, but trustworthy faces."
"Be human as Christ is," he urged.
The gathering drew approximately 500,000 people and combined music, testimonies, Marian devotion and Eucharistic adoration in what organizers described as a "festival of faith." Young people began arriving hours before the pope's appearance, filling the plaza and surrounding streets in the heart of the Spanish capital.
-- Massive crowd to greet Pope Leo --
The scale of the gathering became apparent as Pope Leo tried to reach the stage. The journey along Madrid's Paseo de la Castellana stretched for more than 20 minutes as the popemobile moved slowly through the sea of pilgrims, repeatedly stopping while Pope Leo greeted the faithful. Along the route, he embraced worshippers lining the barriers and kissed dozens of babies passed forward by their parents.
Many others watched from apartment balconies and terraces overlooking the broad boulevard, creating a continuous presence along the route connecting the city center to the vigil site.
When he finally arrived at the stage in Plaza de Lima, the welcome only intensified. Thousands of young people waved Vatican and Spanish flags and broke into chants of "Esta es la juventud del Papa" ("This is the pope's youth"). Pope Leo appeared visibly moved as he paused to take in the scene before Cardinal Jose Cobo of Madrid began the final part of the evening's program.
-- Dialogue with the youth --
In a departure from the formal settings often associated with papal events, the dialogue unfolded on a stage arranged like a living room.
There, young people and the pope spoke about faith, vocation and the search for meaning, creating the impression of a conversation between generations united less by age than by a common desire to follow Christ. The exchange followed a performance from "Godspell," the musical produced by "Zorro" actor Antonio Banderas, which helped set the tone for an evening organizers described as a "festival of faith."
During a dialogue with young people, Pope Leo reflected on saints who shaped his spiritual life, including St. John Chrysostom, St. Thomas of Villanova and St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, the Spanish missionary bishop who evangelized Peru in the 16th century.
Asked about his own missionary years in Peru, the pope said he most treasured the witness of faith shown by people who faced hardship without losing hope.
"As I proclaimed the Gospel, I too was transformed by it," he said. " I have seen how the Word of God can transform conflict into peace, can be a source of reconciliation, peace, and justice."
Leo also encouraged young people to seek silence amid the noise of contemporary life.
"When we seek silence, we choose what not to listen to and which noises not to let distract us," he said. "It is in silence that we come to understand that ideologies pass away, while the truth always remains."
Pope Leo connected that invitation directly to the Eucharistic adoration that followed -- and during which the entire square fell silent.
"Eucharistic adoration, which we share this evening, is the perfect place to be silent, to open our hearts, and to 'be' ourselves in the presence of the Lord," he said.
Turning to the role of Christians in contemporary society, Pope Leo reminded the crowd that "Jesus' disciples are always people of their time, but never prisoners of a passing era."
He urged young Catholics to become missionaries in today's world, including in digital spaces, and challenged them to be "the salt of the earth and the light of the world."
-- A youth Catholic revival --
Looking around the plaza before the pope's arrival, Laura Blanco, who traveled to Madrid from Burgos with a group of 15 friends, said she sees that missionary spirit already at work among young people.
Two members of her group were baptized as children but grew up in nonreligious households, she said.
"They knew we were coming, they knew the pope was coming, and they wanted to join us," Blanco said. "One of them comes to Mass with me every day now. We study together, and we end the day by going to Mass."
Blushing, she added that faith may be playing an unexpected role in another kind of discernment.
"I think he likes me. I know I like him," she said. "Seeing how important my faith is to me, I think he's trying to get to know it well enough to see if he can live with it."
In fact, after one of the young men on the stage mentioned he was a newlywed, Pope Leo went visibly off the cuff to urge young people to "not be afraid of marriage. Do not be afraid of forming a family!"
Earlier, the pope emphasized: "Never be afraid to consider a vocation to the priesthood, religious life, or other services in the Church" -- to much applause from the crowd.
-- A blend of prayer and Spanish culture --
Before Leo arrived at Plaza de Lima, pilgrims prayed the rosary's luminous mysteries, with meditations offered by young people and accompanied by sacred art from Madrid's Prado Museum.
This part of the vigil was the prelude of the city's "White and Yellow Night," during which some of Madrid's most important museums, including the Prado, opened their doors free of charge to pilgrims and visitors ahead of the pope's Mass and the Corpus Christi procession on Sunday.
As they waited for Pope Leo's arrival, giant screens replayed images from the visits of St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI to Spain. Special attention was given to the 2011 World Youth Day vigil at Madrid's Cuatro Vientos airfield, where pilgrims endured extreme heat and a violent storm before joining Pope Benedict in Eucharistic adoration.
Organizers addressed a-then-still-absent and popemobile-riding Pope Leo directly, urging him:
"Fifteen years after World Youth Day Madrid 2011, where young people discovered that together we are stronger than the elements, today more than ever we want to welcome you, Holy Father. Inspire us as your predecessors inspired our parents, grandparents and older brothers and sisters."Father José Gabriel Vera Beorlegui, spokesman for the Spanish bishops' conference, said the pope's visit comes at a moment when many people are searching for hope amid global instability.
"The visit of Pope Leo XIV to Spain is a reason for joy for the whole Church," he said. "People are anguished by war, anger, violence, lies and corruption in the world. Christ is the light that will help the Church in Spain, but also Spanish society, move forward."
As darkness settled over Madrid, the music and celebrations gave way to silence as hundreds of thousands of young people joined Pope Leo in Eucharistic adoration, bringing to a close an evening that connected Spain's Catholic past with a new generation being called to shape its future.
— Ines San Martin, OSV News Pope Leo XIV calls defense of life the measure of a nation’s moral greatness in landmark parliament speech
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Pope Leo XIV calls defense of life the measure of a nation’s moral greatness in landmark parliament speech
MADRID — In a sweeping address to the Spanish parliament, Pope Leo XIV delivered a forceful defense of the dignity of every human life, declaring that its protection is not a partisan issue but "a goal of civilization," while addressing the issues of abortion, migration, freedom of conscience, the seal of confession and the Church’s role in public life.
"If life ceases to be recognized as a fundamental value, what future can our societies have? Can a community that casts into the shadows the unborn child, the elderly, the sick, those who suffer in silence, or those who depend entirely on the care of others be called fully just?" the pope asked the members of congress in his speech on June 8.
"The defense of human life is neither a partisan issue nor a confessional interest: it is a goal of civilization," he emphasized. "Every human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence."
It was the first time in history that a pope addressed the Spanish parliament -- a moment met with much anticipation in a country facing deep political polarization.
Ahead of the speech there had been tension among both the right and the left in Spain over what the pope would say to the legislature, known as Las Cortes Generales. In the end, Pope Leo received a seven-minute standing ovation for remarks that did not shy away from some of the most debated issues in the country.
In the 30-minute speech, touching on issues from euthanasia to artificial intelligence, the pope underlined that "every truly just society is built upon the recognition of the inviolable dignity of the human person," warning that when that certainty is obscured, the most vulnerable suffer first and the law loses its deepest meaning.
"The moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile," the pope said.
-- A multifaceted analysis of the issue of migration in Spain --
In addressing the highly polarizing issue of migration in Spain, Pope Leo gave a multifaceted analysis, saying no nation can handle the challenge alone and calling migration "an eminently moral and legal issue" requiring a coordinated response that addresses root causes.
"The situation of migrants and refugees calls for a response that focuses on people, addresses the root causes that force them to leave, and goes beyond the mere management of migration flows," Pope Leo said.
He described a twofold demand for social justice: offering safe and legal pathways with real integration opportunities, while also promoting the right to remain in one's homeland by addressing lack of peace, security, and decent living conditions.
The pope also called for stronger prevention and rescue efforts for trafficking victims through regional and multilateral cooperation.
"The affirmation of human dignity cannot remain abstract when so many people are forced to leave everything behind in search of peace, security, and a future," he said.
"The tragic drama of migration also challenges the conscience of nations and the ethical foundation of the international order today."
-- Freedom of conscience and the seal of confession --
Pope Leo offered a strong defense of freedom of conscience in the parliament chamber, underlining what he called the duty to protect the inner space where personal convictions, conscience and faith develop.
He described "freedom of thought, conscience and religion" as a fundamental right protecting the most intimate sphere of the person.
"The freedom upon which the contemporary state is built, if it is authentic, recognizes the religious dimension of the human person, respects it and protects it legally; and it ensures that faith is not a reason for which a person has to forfeit his or her contribution to society," he said.
"Without confusing the legal sphere with the moral one, it is also worth recalling that freedom must be understood in its fullness. Being free does not simply mean being free from coercion or having many choices; it means being able to recognize the good and commit to it responsibly," he added.
The pope connected the seal of confession to religious freedom, describing it as part of the broader space that guarantees religious communities their own sphere of life and internal discipline.
Protecting it legally, he said, preserves "a sacred space of inner freedom, where the believer can open his or her soul to God without fear of external pressures."
-- The importance of the family --
Pope Leo called the family "the primary human reality and the natural foundation of community," saying that where families are upheld, the spiritual and social stability of nations is strengthened. He described the family as "the first school of humanity," where people learn to welcome life, care for others, forgive, serve and live together.
"Educational institutions also play a decisive role in this task. In them, new generations can learn to seek and love the truth, to reflect on the meaning of life and the dignity of every person," he said.
"For this reason, many parents who wish for their children to learn to relate to others, to think critically, and to acquire solid values place great hope in these institutions, seeing them as valuable allies in their children's education."
-- The role of the Church in the public square --
Pope Leo framed his speech within a reflection on the Church's place in public life, stressing that when the Church speaks on public matters it does so while respecting the proper mission of civil institutions and the legitimate authority of those who legislate.
He challenged parliamentarians to consider what conception of the human person inspires their laws.
"Beyond the legitimate diversity of positions, every legislative task ultimately confronts a decisive question: what conception of the human person inspires laws, and what kind of society do those laws build?" he asked, arguing that human dignity must guide every legal system.
The pope warned that the world is undergoing "a profound spiritual and cultural crisis," manifesting in violence, polarization and mutual distrust, and called on leaders to foster dialogue, historical reconciliation and civic friendship.
He also cautioned politicians about their particular responsibility for language, saying words have the power to either illuminate reality or distort it.
"Those who hold public office therefore have a special obligation to be mindful of their words in order to disarm language," the pope said. "Firmness does not require contempt; disagreement does not entail humiliation."
"Remember that every decision by public authorities affects real people, especially those who have less power to make their voices heard," he said.
— Courtney Mares, OSV News
Catholic Church has message for everyone, pope says before landing in Spain
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Catholic Church has message for everyone, pope says before landing in Spain
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE FROM ROME TO MADRID — Before touching down in Spain for his fourth apostolic journey abroad, Pope Leo XIV told reporters traveling with him that his plan was to meet with all facets of society: Catholics, young people, migrants, the poor and regular citizens.
"The Church has a message for everyone," he said in Spanish June 6, offering special greetings to journalists from Spain and those from other nations. "Thank you very much for your service."
The pope's June 6-12 visit to Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands also comes at a time when the capital is hosting a major sporting event, -- Real Madrid is facing La Laguna Tenerife in Game 3 of their quarterfinal series --and the Puerto Rican singer and songwriter who performed at the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show, Bad Bunny, is playing six concert dates, kicking off his Spain tour the evening of the pope's arrival.
Aware that the star's shows are scheduled around the same time as the pope's prayer vigil with youth June 6 and meeting representatives of the "world of culture, art and sport" June 7, the pope said it will be interesting to see those young people who will still choose to see the pope.
"If they are confronted with the question: do they want to see Bad Bunny or do they want to see the pope, I think many will see Bad Bunny. But I think there will also be a few there to see the pope. And that says something, you know," he said in English.
Asked about reports of an increase in young people joining the Catholic Church, the pope said he was "very pleased by the reports." According to a recent blog from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, about half of Gen-Z raised Catholic retain that identity into adulthood.
Young people who are "looking for something more," he said, often have grown up without a "spiritual dimension in their lives. They realize there's an emptiness and a lack of a sense of meaning, and perhaps my visiting is helping to awaken" something further that they may still not be able to define.
While he has visited Spain many times, particularly during his 12 years as prior general of the Order of St. Augustine, he said he was looking forward to visiting this predominantly Catholic though increasingly-secularized country as pope: "to meet the faithful, celebrate the faith, proclaim the message of Jesus Christ."
Pope Leo is scheduled to visit Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands June 6-12, visiting migrants and the poor as well as the royal family, dignitaries, representatives of the world of culture, sports and politicians, becoming the first pope to address the Spanish parliament in Madrid.
He will also meet privately with survivors of sexual abuse by clergy. Cases of abuse, he told one reporter, "are still an open wound," adding that it was "unfortunately impossible to meet everyone that wanted" a papal audience.
He told the pool reporter that he always "fought against" known cases of abuse wherever he was serving and would continue to do so as pope.
Pope Leo will lead many events with the nation's Catholics, and one of the highlights will be his blessing of the recently-completed central tower of the Basilica of the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, which now makes it the tallest church in the world at nearly 535 feet. The event also commemorates the 100th anniversary of the death of its architect, Antoni Gaudí.
But, at the same time, he was going to "greet everyone, all of society, because the Church has a message for everyone, as you have seen this very clearly, I believe, in the encyclical letter" published May 25 on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, he said in his main remarks.
The trip will be an opportunity to discover the "great enthusiasm" of the people, Pope Leo told reporters on the plane.
"There are many Catholics here, and I especially want to highlight the presence of young people," he said.
"By everyone sharing the joy of the faith, we can send a very positive message," he said, of "God's love, of charity, of respect for every human being."
The pope then walked down the aisle of the plane, greeting each of the 80 journalists individually, answering their questions, taking selfies and accepting gifts, such as a small wooden cross made from the wreckage of boats that had been carrying migrants to the Italian island of Lampedusa, where he will visit July 4.
One French reporter reminded him that June 6 marked the anniversary of "D-Day," when American, British and Canadian forces invaded Normandy, France, to free Western Europe of Nazi occupation during World War II. Asked whether he would like to visit the region to bring a message of peace, the pope said, "Yes, my father was there," serving in the Navy and taking part in the landings.
Asked if he will support the United States soccer team during the FIFA World Cup this summer, he replied, "I will certainly support the U.S., though I am not sure how many games I will be able to see."
When asked which of the two highest-ranked Spanish squads he was a fan of: Real Madrid or Barcelona, he responded: "That's easy...the pope is for all teams, but Prevost is Real Madrid!"
— Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service